When I was in school, I remember the excitement of waking up to a snowy morning, sitting impatiently in front of the TV, waiting for our school to appear on the closing list and then rejoicing when we finally saw it!

Times have changed. Now, you wake up to a snowy morning, check the local news station’s website from your phone, see school is closed and go back to bed. Many schools even send emails or text messages letting parents know of delays or closings.

Regardless of how technology has changed or how we find out about school closings, the same question remains: School is closed, now what? I have two young, active kids who make life utterly exhausting at times, so the thought of spending an entire day on the couch watching movies during a snowy day sounds amazing, but like I said I have two young, active kids so that’s never going to happen!

While we spend A LOT of time outdoors when it snows, it’s also great to have indoor activities to entertain the little rug rats (and I mean that in the most loving way possible) when they need to take a break to warm up. Here are some ideas I would love to try with my kids – I think they would work for both preschoolers and school-agers!

Make a hot chocolate bar and offer various toppings and syrups. Allow your child to be creative and make their own favorite blend! We always like to make ours look gourmet like in a coffee shop – whip cream on top, drizzled with chocolate syrup (or caramel), and mini marshmallows sprinkled on top.

Trace their body on extra-large paper and let them have fun filling in their features, hair, and clothes.

Make “shivery snow paint” so kids can make a snowman indoors without getting cold! The paint dries puffy and shimmery.

Bring the cold indoors by making an arctic ice sensory container by freezing water in a large tub to make it look like an arctic landscape. Allow your kids to play in their new icy land with their favorite snowy animals.

And, thanks to my fellow blogger, Lauren, who also contributed her fun and creative ideas!

Have your child tell you a story, and type it up. Leave space for him/her to draw pictures to go with the story.

Learn a new game or board game together. Or find a new computer game or download a new educational app (Lauren and her son love abcmouse.com).

Search for science experiments on YouTube and watch the videos and try some at home (the safe ones!) Here’s one to make a snow volcano!